Issue no 644 1st March 2013
Top Story
Corporate use of MPLS in Africa drives data growth and bandwidth provision increases
This week the mobile operators’ trade association, the GSMA issued a report saying that overall revenues from data would exceed those of voice by 2018. The steady shift of different traffic elements to IP will be with us sooner than expected. The report predicted that data revenues in Kenya would exceed voice by 2016, a mere three years away. As part of this broader trend, operators are beginning to gear up their MPLS services in Africa. Russell Southwood looks at what’s happening.MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching) started back in the mid 1990s and was aimed at speeding up traffic between…
Telecoms
Huawei withdraws suit as Kenyan Govt scraps police tender
A Kenyan court has allowed Chinese firm Huawei to withdraw its lawsuit challenging the award of a KES 20 billion tender to supply the police with a communication and surveillance…
Telecoms
Nigeria: Government may sanction four operators for alleged flouting of telecoms promotions, lottery ban
The Federal Government may slam fresh rounds of sanctions on telecoms companies over allegations that they flouted an existing regulatory ban imposed on seven major operators from undertaking all promotions…
Telecoms
Tanzania: Relief As Caller Charges Drop
Telecoms interconnection rates between mobile service providers drop from 115 to 34.92 shillings per minute effective today. Meanwhile, the government plans to build a monitoring telecommunication system by June, this…
Telecoms
Sierra Leone officially connects to ACE cable
Sierra Leone has officially launched its connection to the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable system, gaining its first direct link to a global fibre network.Sierra Leone President Ernest…
Telecoms
Zambia - Key By-Elections Bring Wave of SMS Spam to Voters
Livingstone residents have been angered by mobile phone SMS alerts carrying campaign messages for the ruling Patriotic Front candidate Lawrence Evans ahead of the February 28 parliamentary by-election.The two by-elections,…
Telecoms
Telecoms in Brief
- National telecoms regulator the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has released its market report for the three months ended 30 September 2012, showing that the total number of active…
Internet
Q-KON partners with Startel to engage Angola
Q-KON, a provider of satellite and wireless access network solutions to niche markets in Africa, has announced a partnership with Angola’s Startel SA (Startel). A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has…
Internet
Zim internet use increases from 4% to 22% of survey sample
The latest Zimbabwe All Media and Products Survey results show that urban internet use is growing fast, with 42% of people now having access, up from 34% a year ago. …
Internet
Google supports internet in Africa with NSRC, ISOC
Google has announced its collaboration with two network-driven companies in an attempt to make internet more accessible and effective in sub-Saharan Africa. The company will give USD 3.1 million to…
Internet
Millions of subscribers to get one-click internet access
Mozambican mobile operator mCel and Opera Software have announced a co-branded version of a Opera Mini web browser, which will soon be available to mCel subscribers. Mozambique has fewer than…
Internet
Internet in Brief
- Indian telecoms group Bharti Airtel is planning to roll out large-scale Wi-Fi networks throughout its 17 African units in a bid to bolster the delivery of wireless data services,…
Computing
Dimension Data Launches Cloud Services in Nigeria
Dimension Data has announced the launch of its global Managed Cloud Platform (MCP) that is now available in Nigeria to serve the needs of public and private enterprise, as well…
Computing
Nigerian government reveals partnership deal with Omatek Computers
Olusegun Aganga, Nigeria’s trade and investments minister, has revealed the government will partner with computer manufacturing company Omatek in a bid to promote indigenous technology. The minister disclosed this after…
Computing
Rwanda: MPs Want Mineduc to Ensure One-Laptop-Per-Child Serves Its Role
The parliamentary committee on education, technology, culture and youth has assessed the impact the one-laptop-per-child program has had so far, and found that, although the program has made commendable progress…
Computing
Tanzania: Firm Seeks to Improve Computer Literacy
Over 100 schools have been provided with computer labs while 1000 others are expected to benefit in the next five years, thanks to an international organization known as Camara.The Organization's…
Computing
Computer in Brief
- After a facility tour of its plant last Monday in Lagos, Minister of Trade and Investments, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, while commending state-of-art factory of one the nation's leading indigenous…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecel reduces price of 3G modems to US $30
Telecel Zimbabwe Telecel announced last week via an SMS to subscribers the reduction of its 3G modems price from US $45 to $30. Subscribers will also get 300mb of data…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Gabon Telecom Partners with Mahindra Comviva for Mobile Money and Messaging Solution
Mahindra Comviva, the global leader in providing mobile financial and VAS solutions, has announced that it has partnered with Gabon Telecom, an affiliate of Maroc Telecom and the largest telecom…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Study: women underserved in m-banking
A study released by the GSMA mWomen Programme and Visa entitled, Unlocking the Potential: Women and Mobile Financial Services in Emerging Markets, shows that women in developing countries represent a…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
MasterCard, Equity Bank launch MPOS offering in Kenya
As Kenya continues to push the value of paperless money transfer and mobile money services, MasterCard and Equity Bank have joined forces to launch Mobile Point of Sale (MPOS) technology.MasterCard…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Mfw4a consultative workshop 2013 aitec banking & mobile money west africa conference
Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A) has announced its participation in the sixth annual AITEC Banking & Mobile Money West Africa conference, to be held over two days from March…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Money in Brief
- Nasser Marafih, CEO of Qatar Telecom (Qtel, soon to be rebranded as Ooredoo) has confirmed to reporters at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that the Qatari group has…
Digital Content
Airtel Africa signs MOU with UN WOMEN on initiatives to promote the empowerment of women and girls
Airtel will establish a Farmer’s Information System which will provide real time information to women farmers through its network in AfricaWomen farmers in the East and Horn of Africa region…
Digital Content
Intel, iHub target mobile app development in Africa
Intel has entered into an agreement with business incubator iHub to foster and grow the developer community in Africa through targeted investments in mobile app development, online developer resources, university…
Digital Content
Etisalat Group Offers Low-Cost Access to Social Media and Email via USSD to Emerging Markets
Millions of mobile users owning basic mobile phones across Africa and Asia are now able to join the online community using a new low-cost USSD messaging service from Etisalat. This…
Digital Content
Africa: Ushahidi Receives Ksh. 64.575 Million Macarthur Award
In early 2008, villages and cities across Kenya were ravaged with violence following a disputed election. The election controversy became the pretext for ethnic clashes that displaced hundreds of thousands…
Digital Content
2go and iROKING Bring Music to Millions - Nigeria’s biggest social network brings Afrobeats to its users
2go and iROKING are joining forces to bring instant free Nigerian music downloads to the more than 9 million active 2go users across Nigeria. The fully-integrated music site will bring…
Digital Content
Tech firm takes business listing hassle off clients
Registering a business has always been a daunting task, especially for those in upcountry since they not only have to travel to Nairobi but at times engage the services of…
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Events
Broadband MEA 19 - 20 March 2013 The JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, Dubai, The region’s premier broadband event attracting 750 decision makers from across The Middle East and Africa. Now in its 5th…
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Jobs & Opportunities
Crowdsourcing ideas to co-create smarter solutions to development problemsThanks to innovations in information and communication technologies (ICT), individuals around the world can now be active participants in the value creation…
